Shelf supports



p 1965 D. H. PEDERSEN SHELF SUPPORTS Filed Jan. 3, 1964 diam/l i WW m;

United States Patent 3,207,322 SHELF SUPPORTS Donald H. Pedersen, 328 N. 3rd St., Geneva, Ill. Filed Jan. 3, 1964, Ser. No. 335,528 4 Claims. (Cl. 211-148) The present invention relates to improvements in shelf supports and is more particularly concerned with the novel construction and assembly of a standard and a readily removable shelf support bracket.

The structure is characterized by upstanding channelshaped standards having inwardly turned flanges at opposed faces thereof and a web having at least one hole formed inwardly of said flanges. A shelf support bracket, shaped to be fitted between the flanges while held in a first position, is formed with integral means to engage firmly behind said flanges when moved into a second position and is formed with a stud that enters the hole. When in position of use the shelf support bracket is locked firmly in place so as to support heavy loads.

It is, therefore, an object of the invention to provide a shelf support of novel construction.

Another object is to provide a shelf support bracket of novel construction.

Another object is to provide a novel shelf support construction which is not expensive to manufacture, is easy to assemble, very ruggedly constructed, and extremely efficient in use.

The structure by means of which the above noted and other advantages and objects of the invention are attained will be described in the following specification, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, showing a preferred illustrative embodiment of the invention, in which:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a shelf support structure embodying the invention;

FIG. 2 is a horizontal sectional view of one of the upstanding channel-shaped support members or standards, showing the novel shelf support bracket locked therein, as viewed along line 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view, on an enlarged scale, of the support standard showing the bracket locked therein;

FIG. 4 is a front elevational view of the FIG. 3 assembly; and

FIG. 5 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially on line 55 of FIG. 3.

Referring to the structure shown in the accompanying drawings, and particularly to FIG. 1, the shelf support assembly may include any required number of upstanding channel-shaped support members, or standards 11, arranged one at each corner of a rectangle and each adapted to receive one or more, depending upon the number of shelves 12 desired, shelf support brackets 13 which are aligned horizontally so as to receive seated thereon the shelf 12.

Each upstanding channel-shaped standard 11 is alike. As best shown in FIG. 2, it is extruded and includes spaced side walls 14 connected intermediate their edges by a Web 15. The free edges of said side walls have formed thereon opposed flanges 16 which preferably are longitudinally grooved as at 17, and which define a longitudinal slot 18 (FIG. 4) on opposed faces of the standard. The web is provided, at spaced intervals along its length, with holes 19 (one shown) that align with the longitudinal center of slots 18.

The shelf support bracket 13 is cast, preferably of aluminum, and it includes a shelf support plate 21 which may be of any practical configuration, in plan, such as the V-shape shown and formed on its upper face with suitable projections such as the nubs 22 that are engaged in holes or recesses 23 formed in shelf 12. The plate 21 has 3,207,322 Patented Sept. 21, 1965 a depending reinforcing flange 24 which is adapted to rest firmly against the outside surfaces of the channel flanges 16 when the bracket is in position of use.

Extending rearwardly from and integral with the flanged end of plate 21 is a parallelogram-shaped neck 25 of a length corresponding substantially to the thickness of flanges 16 and having its opposed faces spaced apart a distance nearly corresponding to the width of slot 18 through which it is projected. The rear end of said neck 25 terminates in a parallelogram-shaped locking body 26 having a width nearly corresponding to the width of said slot and a length greater than the slot Width so as to define, with ends 27 of the neck (FIG. 5) a pair of shoulders 28. The overall length of body 26, that is the distance between its ends faces 29, is substantially equal to the spacing between the channel side walls 14 and its thickness from front to rear corresponds substantially to the distance between the channel web 15 and the inside faces of flanges 16. The body 26 terminates in a stud 30 of such diameter as to be received in one of the holes 19 in web 15.

The shelf support bracket can be mounted in and removed from the channel-shaped support 11 very easily and quickly. To mount a bracket, it is held substantially in the position illustrated in dot-dash lines in FIG. 4 and the body 26 and neck 25 are thrust freely into the channel slot 18. It can then be shifted longitudinally of the channel until the stud 30 falls into a hole 19 at which time the body lies wholly Within the space defined by web 15 and the inside faces of flanges 16, and the neck lies between said flanges. The bracket then is rotated into the full line position shown which rotation carries the shoulder 28 into locking position in back of the opposed flanges 16. The bracket is held against sliding in the channel by stud 30 and when a shelf 12 is seated on the plate 21 the bracket is held firmly against reverse rotation and is thereby locked securely in place.

When a bracket is used at the end of a shelf assembly, the unused portion of plate 21 can be broken off along weakened lines 31 (grooves) formed therein. Also, in order to provide a finished appearance to the shelf assembly, the outside exposed channels of the upstanding supports 11 may have a strip 32 (FIG. 2) of stiff material slidably engaged in the opposed grooves 17 in the flanges 16.

Although I have described a preferred embodiment of of my invention in considerable detail, it will be understood that the description thereof is intended to be illustrative, rather than restrictive, as many details of the structure disclosed may be modified or changed without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Accordingly, I do not desire to be restricted to the exact construction described.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. An adjustable shelf bracket assembly comprising, in combination, a vertical shelf bracket channel having a web portion interconnecting a pair of longitudinal side walls, the web portion having a plurality of aligned longitudinally spaced apart openings therein, each of said side walls of the channel having inwardly opposing flanges along their free edges facing each other across a slot defined therebetween, and a shelf bracket mounted in said channel and adjustable to different positions displaced longitudinally thereof, said bracket including a flat shelfsupport plate having a downwardly extending reinforcing flange seated against the face of the inwardly opposing flanges on the channel walls, a parallelogram-shaped neck on the back side of said reinforcing flange seated within the slot between said walls, a parallelogram-shaped body integral with the end of said neck and of a length greater than the spacing between said channel walls, and disposed at an angle to the plane of the plate and seated firmly between said Walls, a stud on the back surface of the body engaged in one of said openings, said body and neck being of a width whereby the bracket by an oblique positioning thereof may be introduced into and taken out of the channel in a direction substantially at right angles, thereto, and the said body having angularly disposed end surfaces that abut against the walls when the bracket is in a position to support a shelf thereon.

2. The adjustable shelf bracket assembly recited in claim 1, in which the neck has angularly disposed end surfaces that abut against the wall flanges when the bracket is in a position to support a shelf thereon.

3. The adjustable shelf bracket assembly recited in claim 1, in which the shelf support plate has nubs on its upwardly facing surface.

4. The adjustable shelf bracket assembly recited in claim 1, in which the shelf support plate has score lines therein to facilitate separation of a part thereof.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,485,643 10/49 Norquist 18934 2,676,420 4/54 Berg 3516 2,902,242 9/59 Bergstrom 248-244 2,928,512 3/60 Slater 18936 3,043,642 7/62 Nelson 312-111 3,080,980 3/63 Gibbons 248225 FOREIGN PATENTS 547,943 10/57 Canada.

CLAUDE A. LE ROY, Primary Examiner. 

1. AN ADJUSTABLE SHELF BRACKET ASSEMBLY COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, A VERTICAL SHELF BRACKET CHANNEL HAVING A WEB PORTION INTERCONNECTING A PAIR OF LONGITUDINAL SIDE WALLS, THE WEB PORTION HAVING A PLURALITY OF ALIGNED LONGITUDINALLY SPACED APART OPENINGS THEREIN, EACH OF SAID SIDE WALLS OF THE CHANNEL HAVING INWARDLY OPPOSING FLANGES ALONG THEIR FREE DGES OF FACING EACH OTHER ACROSS A SLOT DEFINED THEREBETWEEN, AND A SHELF BRACKET MOUNTED IN SAID CHANNEL AND ADJUSTABLE TO DIFFEENT POSITIONS DISPLACED LONGITUDINALLY THEREOF, SAID GRACKET INCLUDING A FLAT SHELFSUPPORT PLATE HAVING A DOWNWARDLY EXTENDING REINFORCING FLANGE SEATED AGAINST THE FACE OF THE INWARDLY OPPOSING FLANGES ON THE CHANNEL WALLS, A PARALLELOGRAM-SHAPED NECK ON THE BACK SIDE OF SAID REINFORCING FLANGE SEATED WITHIN THE SLOT BETWEEN SAID WALLS, A PARALLELOGRAM-SHAPED BODY INTEGRAL WITH THE END OF SAID NECK AND OF A LENGTH GREATER THAN THE SPACING BETWEEN SAID CHANNEL WALLS, AND DISPOSED AT AN ANGLE TO THE PLANE OF THE PLATE AND SEATED FIRMLY BETWEEN SAID WALLS, A STUD ON THE BACK SURFACE OF THE BODY ENGAGED IN ONE OF SAID OPENINGS, SAID BODY AND NECK BEING OF A WIDTH WHEREBY THE BRACKET BY AN OBLIQUE POSITIONED THEREOF MAY BE INTRODUCED INTO AND TAKEN OUT OF THE CHANNEL IN A DIRECTION SUBSTANTIALLY AT RIGHT ANGLES, THERETO, AND THE SAID BODY HAVING ANGULARLY DISPOSED END SURFACE THAT ABUT AGAINST THE WALLS WHEN THE BRACKETS IS IN A POSITION TO SUPPORT A SHELF THEREON. 